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The meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Railways held in Parliament House, on 11th May, 2026, Chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan was attended by Senators Dost Ali Jeesar and Nasir Mehmood Butt alongside senior ministry officials, convened to further evaluate the strategic progress of key infrastructure initiatives including the ML-I project and the implementation of the Railways Advanced Infrastructure Network (RAIN) and WIM. During the session, the Committee recommended that the Ministry should provide a comprehensive briefing in the next meeting regarding actions taken against illegal encroachments on the railways land in Karachi, in line with the orders of the Supreme Court, specifically demanding a detailed report on the current status for settlement and shifting of the encroachers. Security and asset recovery remained a top priority, as the Committee sought periodical report on the misappropriation and recovery of stolen railway materials and the progress of related FIRs. On the fiscal front, the Committee appreciated the successful maintenance of staff reduction targets and the generation of additional Rs. 5,911.82 million, over the last five years through outsourced luggage vans. To further optimize underutilized assets, the Committee recommended that the Ministry should brief about leasing or renting out railways’ properties near dry ports. These administrative reviews were balanced with significant infrastructure updates, including the approval of a Rs. 9,725 million project to secure 177 unmanned vulnerable level crossings in Punjab, 100 in Sindh and the ongoing efforts to resolve long-standing lease disputes, such as the Hyatt Regency Hotel project. Concluding the session, the Committee emphasized the necessity of maintaining absolute transparency in project funding and coordination with international financial institutions. Last but not the least, the Chairman Committee required the Ministry to provide information regarding a public notice advertised by the government to restrict the use of the premises of Railways by the social media influencers, bloggers or general public for advertising, filming or photographing. He stated that such notice is breaching the right to information and access being a fundamental right protected by the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

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